Haley Harrison

ISU Sports Information

The Idaho State softball team defeated UC Riverside, 6-2, on Sunday, Feb. 16 in its last game of the University of California Riverside Classic tournament in Riverside, Calif.

The Bengals tallied eight hits led by Emma Bordenkecher going 4- 4 at the plate with two doubles. Kelsey Breer homered for two RBIs while Mailee Newman also recorded an RBI on a base hit. Frankie Tago and Amber Arreola put together the last two hits for ISU.

“We finally put offense, defense, and pitching together well for a full seven innings,” said head coach Cristal Brown. “The focus and intensity by the whole team was spot on.”

Isabel Cargill walked to start the game and was advanced to third after a double from Bordenkecher. Newman hit an RBI single down the left field line and would later get in a pickle that scored Bordenkecher, giving the Bengals a 2-0 lead to end the top of the inning.

ISU would put up another run in the second after capitalizing on two UCR errors. The Highlanders tried to keep things interesting in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs off of a walk, two singles, and a double.

The Bengals ran away with the game in the sixth inning after Breer smacked a two-run homer to right center, giving ISU a 5-2 lead and taking momentum away from UCR.

ISU wasn’t done yet as two base hits from Bordenkecher and Tago put runners on base for ISU in the top of the seventh. UCR walked the next two batters, bringing in another run for the Bengals that would lead to a 6-2 victory.

Kelsea Sweeney earned the victory after holding UCR to seven hits, two runs, three walks, and handing out two strikeouts.

For their contributions at the University of California Riverside Classic tournament, senior infielder Bordenkecher and senior pitcher Sweeney were named the Big Sky Conference Softball Players of the Week Monday afternoon.

Bordenkecher batted .722 with 13 hits, four runs scored and two RBIs over five games last weekend. The Lake Elsinore, Calif., native delivered 10 hits in her final 11 at bats, finishing with five extra base hits including four doubles and one home run for a 1.111 slugging percentage and .737 on base percentage.

Bordenkecher went 4-for-4 in her final two games against Santa Clara and UC Riverside and delivered two-hit outings against UTEP and in the Bengals’ first game against the host school. She also totaled 10 assists and nine putouts playing first and third base on the weekend. The Big Sky weekly honor is the third of her career.

Sweeney collected her first conference weekly accolade after recording a 1.78 ERA with one win in California. The Las Vegas native carried the Bengals to a 6-2 victory over UC Riverside in the tournament finale with a complete game effort. On the weekend, she totaled nine strikeouts in 19.2 innings of work.

The team traveled to San Diego, Calif. on Monday to play a double header game against the University of San Diego. After an afternoon of play, the team fell to San Diego, 4-0 and 8-3.

ISU strung together ten hits on the day led by Newman and Kaylee Butterworth with two. Six other Bengals would record hits.

In the first match, the Toreros held ISU to just two hits. The Orange and Black made it hard on themselves, committing two errors and leaving seven runners on base.

USD jumped ahead in the first inning scoring one run off of two hits. The Toreros strengthened their lead in the sixth, scoring three runs on two hits and one ISU error. Angelica Cano broke a no-hitter in the fifth inning with a single to center field, and Tago would get the Bengals’ only other hit in the seventh.

The loss goes to senior pitcher Sweeney after giving up five hits, three earned runs, and two walks.

In its last match of the afternoon, the Bengals put together eight hits led by Newman going 2-3 with two RBIs followed by Butterworth going 2-3 with an RBI. Bordenkecher tripled and scored two runs. Jayden DeMoss doubled while Cargill and Arreola singled for ISU.

USD’s momentum followed them into the second game, scoring seven runs in the first inning.

Newman started in the circle for the Bengals. In just six batters, USD scored five runs off of two walks, three base hits, and a double to left. The Toreros were able to push across two more after an ISU pitching change brought in Kiara Grover, ending the inning in a seven run lead.

Two more base hits from USD in the second quickly gave them a 8-0 lead.

The Bengals showed their fight scoring the next three innings. ISU cashed in a run in both the third and fourth inning off three USD errors and an RBI single from Butterworth.

Bordenkecher tripled to start the fifth and was later scored by Newman to cut the lead 8-3 but the Bengals would get no closer.

Idaho State competes in the Mary Nutter Classic, Feb. 20-21, in Cathedral City, Calif.